Lois A. Olsen

LOIS A OLSEN died early in the morning of October 27, 2016, four days shy of her 80th birthday. Lois was born October 31, 1936 in Williston, North Dakota, to Rev. Victor and Wilma Gilbertson. The family was living in Tioga, N.D. at the time, moving later to Souris, N.D., Cylinder, Iowa and Reynolds, N.D. where Rev. Gilbertson served as pastor of rural Lutheran congregations. Lois attended high school at Augustana Academy, Canton, South Dakota, a boarding school sponsored by the Lutheran Church. After working one year as a surgical scrub tech in Minneapolis, Lois enrolled at Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota in the fall of 1955. Early during her first year at Concordia Lois met and fell in love with her future husband and partner in life, Gerald Olsen of Staten Island, New York. They were married on August 9, 1959. After two years at Concordia Lois enrolled in the Nursing program at the University of Minnesota receiving her Bachelor of Science degree and RN degree in March 1960. In the summer of 1960 Lois and her husband sailed for Norway where they lived until May, 1961. During that time Lois worked as a nurse in the operating room of a private Catholic hospital in Oslo. As her husband pursued a career as a physician and ophthalmologist, the family moved to Houston, Texas, St. Paul, Minnesota, Fort Benning, Georgia and finally to Fort Collins, Colorado where they have made their home since 1972.

Lois is survived by her husband, Dr. Gerald Olsen, her three children, Dr. Eric Olsen, his wife Lisa and their four children, Gordon, Leslie, Carlisle and Courtney; Dr. Karl Olsen and his wife, Heather and their children Ariane, Braden and Garrett; Kari and her husband Dan Olsen (same last name) and their children, Siri, Britta and Anders. All three families live in Ft. Collins. Lois has four siblings who survive, Dr. Earnest Gilbertson of Fargo, N.D., Esther Johnson of Ft. Collins, Rev. Paul Gilbertson and his wife Phyllis of Denver, Colorado and Ruth Matson of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Nineteen nieces and nephews from these marriages also survive.

Life in Ft. Collins was good to Lois. Her children were ages 4 to 10 when she moved here and she devoted herself totally to their care and upbringing for many years. As they left to attend college her circle of friends in Ft. Collins widened. Lois used her nursing degree and skills in several venues in Ft. Collins including teaching nursing at Front Range Community College and working in a surgery center as a recovery nurse.

The 'Good News' that God was in Christ redeeming the world was the guiding principle of Lois' life from infancy until her death. Her closest circle of friends were those made from attending Trinity Lutheran Church in Ft. Collins. Perhaps Lois' single most important source of strength was her love of worshipping her Lord and Savior each Sunday through the Word and Sacrament. Here she cultivated her life-long love of the hymns of the Church which speak so eloquently of the Gospel of Christ. She sang in church choirs from teenage years until three weeks before her death.

Nothing surpassed family in Lois' value system. She devoted all her energies to the well-being of her husband, her three children and their spouses and most especially to her ten grandchildren whose lives and futures were the recipients of her unconditional love. Together with her husband, Lois created lasting, beautiful memories from travels to far flung place, from Tibet to Botswana, from Ethiopia to Papua New Guinea, from Java and Bali to South Africa and Zimbabwe, from Norway to Egypt and many other places. In 2010, Lois and Gerry took their entire family of 18 Olsen's to South Africa, enjoying the many venues of Cape Town to the African bush at Nottens Bush Camp and then to Victoria Falls. It was THE trip of a lifetime. It was the most satisfying and fulfilling experience of her life, her most cherished memory. Her absolutely, most favorite vacation pastime was to ride in a land-rover on game drives in the African bush seeing the wildlife of Africa in their natural setting. This placid, elegant lady was always keen to see the rhythm of life taking place during an animal 'kill'.

The family wishes to publicly heap praise on the nurses and medical assistants working on the Oncology Unit of PVH for their skill and compassionate care that they rendered to her during her final days with us. They are angelic servants and ministers of love.

A Memorial and Celebratory Service for Lois will be held 10 AM. Saturday, November 5 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 E. Stuart, Ft. Collins. Those wishing to send a memorial gift should make that gift to Trinity Lutheran Church, Lois Olsen memorial. 100 % of those tax deductible gifts will be directed to Fund for Leaders, a critical program within the ELCA to help decrease student debt of seminarians attending a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.